The England Experience

   England is both exactly the same as the states, but is also incredibly different.  The country has a surreal appearance to me, since it both seems familiar, and at the same time unfamiliar.  I live in the states, and therefore, the states, and all their little quirks and charms, are normal.  Many things here in the UK are very similar to the U.S.A, but they are also different.  The candy here is different, the cars are different, the side of the road that cars go on is different.  People here use different driving styles.  The streets and the town layouts are considerably more efficiently than in America: here there are only a fraction of the number of traffic lights, instead they use a few traffic lights in conjunction with many roundabouts.  Everyone speaks english, albeit with an accent, and the food is all very similar to the states.  Put it all together, and its like the states.  But different.

   A lot of the food in the states is very similar to that in the UK.  Burgers, salad,  pizza, there are even a lot the same fast-food chains, such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, and of course, McDonalds.  But when you go to the store, and you want to buy a bag of chips (or as they are called in the UK, crisps) you won't find Cheetos, or Ruffles, Sun Chips, or Lays.  You will, however, find some crisps called Walkers.  They have the exact same logo as Lays, only with the name Walkers on the red ribbon instead of the name Lays.  And the crisps come in different colored bags from the states when it comes to flavor.  In the states, red is original, green is sour cream and onion, and blue is salt & vinegar.  But in England, green is salt and vinegar, and blue is cheese and onion.  A similar phenomenon occurs when you look for chocolate.  Instead of finding Hershey's chocolate, you find Cadbury.  It's all similar to the states, but it's different.

   When it comes to roads, that's when the most noticeable differences become apparent.  You're driving, for the most part, at least similar vehicles as to what you get in the states.  Some european brands offer the exact same vehicles here as in the states.  Companies like Mercedes, BMW, and Audi offer almost identical vehicles on both sides of the pond.  But companies like Ford and Chevrolet make vehicles for the U.S. that wouldn't fit on european roads.  And finally, there are manufacturers don't sell any cars in the states at all, yet have great european followings.  Vauxhall, Skoda, and Citroen, and that's just to name a few.  And the styles of the cars are different.  Strange bulges and shapes, as well as different sizes.

   Now, from here, things are going to be changing on this blog.  I probably won't be able to post for a couple of days.  Tomorrow, I travel back down to London, and the day after I fly back home.  Because the time difference counters the time in the plane, I will be doing all the traveling to get home in one day.  Once I get back, I'll have to find things to blog about without covering my day to day adventures, since they don't generally exist.  But I will find things to post, and I will try to keep everybody entertained.  Until then, enjoy your life!